The importance of an adequate dietary supply of iron to both animals and humans has been unequivocally documented in the literature. Indeed the literature, both patent and otherwise, is replete with reports of the occurance of iron-deficiency anemia and its reversal by intake of iron. Iron is essential to the elementary metabolic process in the cell. It is responsible for the transport of molecular oxygen in higher organisms. Animals or humans deficient in iron will become anemic and will have a decreased capability for transporting oxygen.
In addition, it is essential that the body be provided with adequate levels of essential amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of body protein with the protein itself comprised of a plurality of amino acid molecules each bound to the other in a repetitive fashion. It is essential for normal growth rate of man and other animals that an adequate level of the amino acids be present in the diet. Moreover, certain of these amino acids cannot be formed by the body and must be ingested. Methionine is an example of one of the essential amino acids necessary for body protein building.
While the importance of adequate dietary levels of iron has long been documented and known, most iron compounds do not provide this element in a form which effectively allows it to be absorbed, distributed and utilized efficiently by animals. For example, the mere feeding of a conventional iron salt such as ferrous sulfate may not significantly increase the level of iron or significantly decrease an iron-deficiency condition because iron has to be transported through membranes which do not readily permit iron ions to pass. It is believed that iron is absorbed and transported in the form of complexes of the metal ion with organic molecules. Therefore, conventional inorganic iron salts such as ferrous sulfate must be converted to organic complexes to be utilized nutritionally by animals.
This invention has as its object the preparation of novel iron methionine complex salts wherein the iron is in a form which can be readily absorbed after ingestion, distributed and utilized efficiently by animals.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide novel compounds which contain methionine as part of a cation complex with the methionine present in a form which can be readily absorbed after ingestion.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide as a feed supplement new iron methionine complex salts wherein the cation of the salt is comprised of an iron methionine complex with the result being that the new feed supplement can be fed with greater efficiency from the standpoint that more of the iron and the methionine will be absorbed, distributed and utilized by the animal than would occur if conventional salts of iron and the compound methionine per se were fed as feed supplements.
The method of accomplishing these and other objects will become apparent from the following description of the invention.